Tape moistener



United States Patent TAPE MOISTENER Le Roy F. Carkhutf, Morris, and Richard J. Fahey, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Diamond Gardner Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application October 25, 1955, Serial No. 542,727

6 Claims. (Cl. 118-267) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for moistening adhesive-backed tape for adherence of the tape to a surface. While our improvement may be utilized where it is desired to moisten and apply the tape either manaully or mechanically, the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is particularly devised for a cartonsealing apparatus, such as shown in our co-pending application, filed October 11, 1955, Serial No. 539,890.

Tape has commonly been moistened by passing it over a wick which consists of a portion of an absorbent pad extending across the path of travel of the tape. Water is supplied to the absorbent pad so that the wick is constantly moist and wets any tape drawn across it.

There has existed, however, a problem in regulating the amount of water supplied to the wick. If the wick is too moist and transfers too much water to the tape, the tape will become soggy and will not satisfactorily adhere to the surface against which it is pressed. Conversely, if the wick is not maintained in a sufliciently moist condition and too little water is transferred to the tape, an unsatisfactory bond will result.

In continuous tape-applying operations, such as in automatic packaging machinery in which sections of moistened tape are applied to a succession of closed cartons or containers, varying conditions require different amounts of moisture on the tap for'an effective bond. For example, the adhesive may be more heavily applied on one portion of the tape than another, and different rolls of tape may carry varying amounts of adhesive. The weight and quality of the tape may vary. The adhesion of the tape may also be aifected by varying conditions of the humidity and temperature of the atmosphere. Therefore, it is important that the operator of the machine be able to regulate the amount of water in the wick and to adjust the feed from time to time as conditions vary.

In the past it has been common practice to place an absorbent pad, such as felt, in an open water tray having a bottom and vertical side walls. The pad is so shaped that a tongue-like portion extends over a side wall of the tray and is held in the path of the tape, the end portion of this tongue constituting the wick over which the tape is passed. The tray is filled with water, which is fed along the tongue of the pad to the wick by capillary action. An additional supply of water is provided by a bottle of water which is held over the tray in inverted position with its mouth extending into the open tray. When the water level in the tray is below the mouth of the bottle, air enters the bottle and water flows into the tray. When the water level rises above the mouth of the bottle, the air pressure on the body of water in the tray contains the column of water in the bottle. The water is thus maintained at a constant level in the tray.

In an apparaus of this type, the regulation of the supply of water to the wick has been attempted by cutting the portion of the pad resting in the water tray into finger-like sections. When it is desired to lessen the supply of water being carried to the wick, one or more Patented July 15, 1958 of these fingers are removed from the water and hung over the side walls of the tray, thus reducing the area of the pad effective to carry the water to the wick. It is obvious that this means of regulating the water feed does not provide any real degree of control and regulation of the water fed to the wick, and does not adequately solve the problem of properly moistening the tape under all the variable conditions which may be encountered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus by means of which the amount of water fed. to a tape-moistening wick can be precisely and minutely regulated and controlled.

It is a further object to provide such a device which is effective to accomplish the purposes desired, and yet is of simple construction, with few parts, and can be operated quickly and easily by an attendant to obtain the proper moistening of the tape under the prevailing conditions.

A preferred embodiment is shown in the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing the in-' verted water bottle, the support therefor and the water tray.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing in detail the hand wheel and spring clip by means of which the position of the bottle with respect to the pad and water tray can be minutely regulated.

Figure 4 is a section along the line 44 of Figure 2, showing the construction of the mouth of the tube extending from within the water bottle to the water tray.

As shown in the drawing, the bottle 10, with stopper 11 inserted in its mouth, is supported in inverted position by tube 12 held by press fit in channel 13 extending longitudinally through the stopper. The tube 12 extends within the bottle to a point adjacent the bottom wall of the bottle and extends a sufiicient distance outside the bottle to provide sufiicient length for attachment to the tube supporting means hereinafter described. A collar 14 is adjustably fixed on the tube outside the bottle adjacent the stopper by means of setscrew 15.

A vertically positioned sleeve 16 with external threads 17 on its upper portion is supported by horizontal bracket 18, which is attached by bolts 19 to any convenient side wall or support 20. A hand wheel 21 with an internally threaded hub is adapted to be threaded on the sleeve 16. The periphery of the wheel has an appropriate frictional surface, and rotation of the wheel is restrained by spring clip 22, which is held by bolt 23 on support 20 and presses against the periphery of the hand wheel.

When the tube 12 extending from the bottle is inserted in sleeve 16, collar 14 rests on hand wheel 21, and thus the entire bottle and tube are supported. The mouth of the tube 12 is beveled as shown at 24 to give the lip of the tube 25 a fine edge, which is serrated to form notches 26, as particularly shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The tube and bottle in inverted position are held at such elevation that lip. 25 rests on an absorbent felt pad 27, which substantially fills the relatively shallow, open tray 28 supported by any convenient means, such as by attachment to support 20. A portion of a side wall of the tray is cut out as indicated at 29, through which the tongue-like portion of the absorbent pad extends. A plate 30 fixed on the side wall of the tray presses the tongue downwardly so that the end portion thereof, constituting the wick 31, is held in exposed position in the path of travel of the tape.

A water intake 32, comprising a relatively small orifice in the wall of the tube within the bottle adjacent the stopper, permits the intake of water at a point im- A conventional heating element (not shown) may be used in conjunction with the tray to warm the water passing through the pad bycapillary action.

In operation, a moistened-pad is positioned within the tray 28 with the tongue portion thereof extending through the cut-out 29. The bottle is filled with water and the stopper inserted therein. The tube 12 is press fitted into the channel 13 of the stopper and the tube inserted into the bottle, so that the end of the tube exends to a point adjacent the bottom wall of the bottle and the water inlet 32 is exposed at a point adjacent the stopper. The length of tube extending outside the bottle is then inserted in sleeve 16 until collar 14 rests upon hand wheel 21 and lip 25 rests upon the felt pad 27.

Collar 14 is so positioned on the tube that the felt pad and tray normally support the weight of the bottle and tube. Air admitted through notches 26 causes the scepage of water from the tube to the absorbent pad where it is carried by capillary action to the wick. if it is desired to increase the supply of water to the pad and wick, hand Wheel 21 is manually turned against spring clip 22 to raise the hand wheel in relation to the sleeve 16. The hand wheel thus elevates the collar 14 resting upon it together with the tube and bottle. The elevating of the tube permits more air to enter the tube and increases the amount of water flowing down the tube into the pad. By turning the hand wheel in the opposite .direction to lower it, the tube and bottle are lowered and the supply of water to the pad is diminished.

The water inlet 32 allows the water to enter the tube adjacent the stopper, thus reducing the water pressure in the tube, and substantially eliminating air locks.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that our apparatus provides means whereby an attendant observing the tape-applying operation can make minute adjustments of the quantity of water being fed to the wick, and thus provide the proper amount of water to obtain the best adhesion under the existing conditions of temperature, humidity, heaviness of the adhesive backing, etc.

We claim:

1. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus comprising in combination an absorbent pad, a support for said pad, a liquid container adapted to be supported at an elevation higher than said pad, said container having an opening near the bottom thereof, a tube having a first end extending upwardly in said container to a position adjacent and below its uppermost portion, an intermediate portion of said tube being sealed to said container in said opening therein, a liquid inlet opening in said tube above and adjacent said intermediate portion,

the opposite end of said tube extending generally downwardly .from said container, said opposite end of said tube being provided with a contacting portion in contact with said pad, a first means in association With the contacting portion of said opposite end of said tube for admitting air thereinto, and minutely adjustable second means for varying the amount of air admitted into said tube through said last mentioned means.

2. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means includes serrations in the walls of said opposite end of said tube.

3. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said second means includes an element for raising and lowering said opposite end of said tube.

4. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means includes serrations in the walls of said opposite end of said tube and wherein said second means includes an element for raising and lowering said opposite end of said tube.

5. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said liquid container is supported by said tube, and wherein said second means compirses means for supporting said tube, said supporting means comprising a first element directly associated with said tube and locking means for locking said element to said tube, said supporting means comprising a second element having a first part and a second part, means for fixedly supporting said first part, mean for minutely moving said second part with respect to said first part and for transmitting motion from said second part to said first element.

6. A wick-type gummed tape moistening apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first element comprises a collar and the locking means therefor comprises a set screw and said second element comprises an externally threaded sleeve as a first part and an internally threaded hand-wheel as a second part, means for partially restraining the rotation of said internally threaded wheel by a spring clip in order to provide for very fine minute adjustment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,951 Storch Apr. 28, 1936 947,347 Phillips Jan. 25, 1910 1,802,602 Hellweg Apr. 28, 1931 2,267,825 Harris Dec. 30, 1941 2,425,251 Landau Aug. 5, 1947 2,637,336 Emery May 5, 1953 

